Tag: Chargers vs. Panthers

Where Chargers stand in NFL power rankings after Week 3

The Los Angeles Chargers took a bit of a tumble after their loss to the Carolina Panthers.

It came down to the wire for the Chargers yet again, but for the second week in a row, they were unable to prevail against the Panthers in Week 3.

After the loss, let’s see what the nation thinks of Los Angeles:

USA Today: 24 (Previous: 15)

“Wholly unfair as it might be for QB Tyrod Taylor personally, it just makes no sense from a team perspective to pull promising rookie Justin Herbert from the lineup at this point.”

Touchdown Wire: 21 (Previous: 13)

“With starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor out indefinitely due to a punctured lung at the hands of a Chargers team physician, the only choice head coach Anthony Lynn has is to throw rookie Justin Herbert under center and let him take his lumps. Herbert hasn’t played badly in two starts against the Chiefs and Panthers in two close losses, and in fact, Lynn’s team was right in their 21-16 Sunday loss to Carolina with a hook-and-ladder play that would have provided one of the best stories of the 2020 season.”

NFL: 19 (Previous: 18)

“If Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler connect on an uncontested lateral toss, Ekeler sprints into the end zone for a miracle walk-off touchdown, and the Chargers are the talk of the league. But, in true Chargers fashion, the ball instead hit the carpet, and the Bolts were saddled with a 21-16 loss to the previously winless Panthers. The game featured growing pains for rookie QB Justin Herbert, who threw a touchdown pass in another 300-yard performance but also had an interception and lost fumble. With Tyrod Taylor reportedly expected to remain sidelined, it will be Herbert playing opposite a man literally twice his age in Tom Brady. A formidable Bucs defense will pose a serious challenge for the rookie.”

ESPN: 19 (Previous: 18)

“The Chargers are struggling with turnovers — both in causing and not committing them — again. Last year, they had 14 takeaways (worst in the league) and 31 giveaways (fourth worst in the league) to result in an NFL-worst minus-17 turnover differential. After forcing two turnovers in a season-opening victory, the Chargers haven’t had a takeaway in the past two games. They’ve committed five turnovers, including four to Carolina this past Sunday.”

CBS Sports: 19 (Previous: 15)

“Justin Herbert did some good things in his first start, but that was a bad home loss to the Panthers. Tyrod Taylor should be back this week.”

Sports Illustrated: 19

“Rookie QB Justin Herbert was one dropped lateral on a hook-and-ladder play away from leading the Chargers on a game-winning 99-yard drive, but a tough loss to the Panthers is now followed by a cross-country trip to visit Tom Brady’s Bucs.”

Sporting News: 22 (Previous: 17)

“Justin Herbert has had his moments over his first two starts, but he still is searching for a win. The Chargers’ defense is being put in tougher positions and the passing game needs to be a little more explosive.”

Connection between Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen continues to flourish

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has heavily favored wide receiver Keenan Allen in his first two starts.

Wide receivers of Keenan Allen’s nature don’t come around that often. When you have one, you must take advantage of it.

Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has wasted no time utilizing Allen to his fullest, and it was on full display in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers.

Doing what he does best by creating separation with his savvy route-running, Allen was targeted 19 times, tying a career-high. He turned does targets into 13 receptions for 132 yard and one touchdown.

In Herbert’s debut, Allen was targeted 10 times which he converted into 96 yards on seven catches.

Sunday was notable for Allen, as he passed Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow for No. 3 on the team’s all-time receptions list, as well as tying the former great for second in team history in 100-yard performances (24).

Allen was Herbert’s number one read on almost every play. That may have bit the rookie a bit, as seen on his interception when he targeted the Pro Bowl wideout when he could have checked the ball down instead.

Allen was surely Herbert’s safety valve on third downs, along with his go-to option in the end zone as he was targeted twice, with one of them that they turned into six late in the game.

Given the fact that Mike Williams is playing banged up and no one has established themselves as the third wide receiver (excluding tight end Hunter Henry and running back Austin Ekeler), we can expect to see the trend of Allen being heavily targeted.

“My job is to get you the ball. I am your assistant,” is what Herbert said to Allen during training camp, which was shown on HBO’s Hard Knocks. That is all coming to fruition.

Chargers dominated in the trenches in loss to Panthers

Both sides of the line for the Chargers were outmatched, and penalties were another killer.

The list of reasons why the Chargers lost to the Panthers can go on and on. But one of the areas that had a factor in Los Angeles’ loss was their inability to win the battle in the trenches.

L.A. has leaned heavily on their pass-rush the first two games of the seasons, and while they had a favorable matchup against a Carolina offensive line that has struggled in the past couple of weeks, they were unable to generate consistent pressure or push.

Star edge defender Joey Bosa, who acquired the clutch sack in the fourth quarter, was outperformed by tackle Taylor Moton for the majority of the game. Other than the sack, Bosa only finished with two quarterback pressures.

Bosa was hindered by an ongoing tricep issue, which could have been a reason for his lackluster performance. But regardless, the Panthers did a great job with their game-plan by double teaming him.

Opposite of Bosa was Uchenna Nwosu, who filled in for the injured Melvin Ingram. Nwosu showed promise in the starting role, leading the team in quarterback pressures with five. He also played a role in slowing the run on a few plays.

The interior defensive line was not much better. Defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Jerry Tillery only combined for one quarterback pressure, and both players struggled to hold their own against the run.

As a result, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had plenty of time to distribute the wealth. Bridgewater was efficient at attacking the middle of the field, where the rest of the team’s defenders hardly had any answer for wide receiver Robby Anderson and company.

On the other side of the ball, the Chargers offensive line was outmatched against a Panthers defensive line that had not posted a sack in the first two games of the season.

Edge defender Brian Burns forced a fumble on quarterback Justin Herbert in the first half. They kept pressuring the rookie quarterback and getting in his face anytime he dropped back.

The offensive line also lost tackle Bryan Bulaga to a back injury. They had already been without guard Trai Turner, who was inactive with a groin injury. Ryan Groy played the majority of the game at right guard in place of Trai Turner, and Trey Pipkins replaced Bulaga in the first half.

In total, Carolina produced 22 quarterback pressures, eight QB hits and sacked Herbert twice.

Luckily, Herbert’s pocket presence and mobility bailed the group out on a handful of occasions. But that’s not guaranteed moving forward, especially since they’re facing a Buccaneers defensive line that boasts Shaq Barrett and Ndamukong Suh next weekend.

Penalties on both lines were another thing that killed the Chargers.

Tillery was called for illegal-formation on a field goal attempt, which led to the Panthers lone touchdown. Bosa was dinged for neutral zone infraction/offsides in crucial moments. The Chargers had three red-zone penalties from offensive linemen.

Los Angeles will look to execute better and limit the mistakes on the lines this upcoming Sunday against the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert continues to show promising potential despite loss to Panthers

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert strung together another strong outing in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers.

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For the second week in a row, rookie quarterback Justin Herbert almost guided the Chargers to victory. Despite the loss to the Panthers, Herbert continued to show why he is capable of being the franchise’s starter for years to come.

Los Angeles’ first-round pick made some mistakes, which included opening the game by getting sacked, then fumbling the ball. Later in the first half when he was trying to lead his team to get some points before halftime, he threw an interception that got returned to the eight-yard line.

Coming out of the locker room, Herbert didn’t let the first half mistakes linger. Instead, he made the necessary adjustments and the flow of the offense was evident because of it.

Since L.A. was forced to play catch-up, they had to resort to the passing game and it was effective, consistently moving the ball down the field in the second half.

Near the end of the game, Herbert hit wide receiver Keenan Allen in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown, delivering an absolute dart between two defenders.

With a little over a minute to play and no timeouts, he received the ball at the one-yard line, and he drove the Chargers down the field. He got them to the 28-yard line, and they had two plays to try and win it.

If the final play, which was a hook-and-ladder between Allen and running back Austin Ekeler, worked, Los Angeles would have won the game and the rookie would’ve been the hero of the game.

“I thought the young quarterback did a nice job taking his team down the field with no timeouts, (gave us a) chance to win the football game,” coach Anthony Lynn said.

Herbert finished the game 35-of-49 passing for 330 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He is only the third quarterback since the 1970 NFL merger to throw for more than 300 passing yards in their first two career games. Cam Newton and Kyler Murray were the other two.

But Herbert’s performance goes way beyond the box score.

Herbert showed strides in an area that he was knocked for coming out of college, which was having an inconsistent feel for pressure and lacking methodical pocket movements when plays would break down.

Today, Herbert, who was dealing with a rocky offensive line all afternoon, didn’t look rattled at all when facing pressure. He displayed sound footwork with steady rhythm and poise from snap to delivery, inside and outside the pocket.

Following the game, his teammates gave him high praise for Sunday’s showing.

“He had a couple situations where he literally changed the entire play and ended it up making it work. That’s starting to give me some confidence saying that this guy knows what he’s doing,” Ekeler said.

Allen said the one positive from this game was the potential he noticed with Herbert running the offense.

While Herbert has yet to pick up his first NFL win, he has shown that he is more than capable of being Los Angeles’ guy for years to come.

Instant analysis of Chargers’ 21-16 loss to Panthers

Breakdown of the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.

The Chargers were yet again very close to coming away with the win against the Panthers. The contest came down to the last play, and they were unable to prevail, dropping their second consecutive game by the score of 21-16.

Here is our instant analysis from Los Angeles’ loss to Carolina:

Injury Report

The Chargers suffered a few injuries throughout the game.

Wide receiver Mike Williams (hamstring), offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (back) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (foot) all got hurt and never returned to the field.

Play of the Game: Joey Bosa’s clutch sack in fourth quarter

The Chargers have struggled to hold their opponents late in the game. The Panthers were close to sealing the deal in the final minutes, but edge defender Joey Bosa came up huge with a sack on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to force the Panthers out of field goal range and give the ball back to Los Angeles.

Notable Number

3: Wide receiver Keenan Allen is now third with most receptions in franchise history, surpassing Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow.

Quick Takes

Despite a couple of head-scratching throws, quarterback Justin Herbert had another solid game. Herbert finished 35-of-49 passing for 330 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He became the third quarterback since the 1970 merger to throw for 300 yards in each of his first 2 career games.

Herbert not only showed off his arm and athleticism, but he displayed excellent pocket mobility and poise, navigating well around bodies when being pressured, which is a major sign of improvement from his playing days at Oregon.

Herbert’s favorite targets were wide receiver Keenan Allen, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Hunter Henry. Allen led the pack with 13 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.

The key to winning games is to win the turnover battle and the Chargers were unable to do that, turning the ball over four times while not forcing a single one. Three of the four turnovers turned into 13 points.

Not only were the turnovers killers, penalties were, as well. Los Angeles committed eight penalties, including a few of them in crucial moments, such as Jerry Tillery’s neutral zone infraction which led to the Panthers’ lone touchdown.

The defense bended but they didn’t break. While they gave up a handful of big plays through the air, they only managed to give up one touchdown, with the rest of the points being from five field goals. It didn’t help that they were forced to defend from unfavorable field position for a good chunk of the game, either.

The Panthers offensive line held their own for the most part against the Chargers defensive line, only allowing two sacks and giving QB Teddy Bridgewater time to throw the football.

There are always questionable calls, and arguably the biggest one was wide receiver Mike Williams’ offensive pass interference late in the second quarter. Williams barely put a hand on the defensive back, and had it not been called, the Chargers would’ve been on the Panthers’ 19-yard line. Instead, Justin Herbert threw an interception a few plays later.

The running game was efficient yet again, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. But the offense had to disband the ground game because they were forced to play catch-up.

If Austin Ekeler would’ve caught the pitch from Keenan Allen on the last play of the game, the Chargers would be 2-1. Ekeler had plenty of room to squeeze into the corner of the end zone.

The play-calling in crunch time was questionable, leading the offense to lacked urgency and kill a lot of the time off the clock.

Up Next

The Chargers are on the road to take on the Buccaneers. The Week 4 matchup will be played on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10:00 a.m. PT.

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ loss to Panthers in Week 3

The Los Angeles Chargers were yet again close to coming away with a win.

The Chargers were forced to play catch-up against the Panthers. Los Angeles was close to pulling off the victory on the final play, but they were unable to execute the hook-and-ladder between Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler.

The loss was a very familiar sight for fans of the Bolts, seeing their favorite team come so close to coming away with a win, but failing to prevail in the final seconds.

Here is a look at how social media reacted to the Chargers’ Week 3 loss to the Panthers:

Key takeaways from first half of Chargers vs. Panthers

The Los Angeles Chargers have struggled with turnovers.

The Chargers currently trail the Panthers at the halfway mark by the score of 18-7.

Here are a few things that have stood out:

Losing turnover battle

The team has put a big emphasis on winning the turnover battle this season, and they’re failing up to this point, losing the battle 3-0. The Chargers fumbled the ball twice, threw an interception and the Panthers turned it into 13 points.

Where’s the defense?

The Panthers had great field position for the majority of the first half after forcing three turnovers. While the Chargers defense only allowed one touchdown, the middle of the field and run defense has been suspect. Los Angeles has no answer for the speed of wide receiver Robby Anderson, and the defensive line is getting bullied up front. Another thing that has been crucial is the penalties. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery was called for neutral zone infraction on a field goal attempt. It led to the lone Carolina touchdown.

Questionable call

Among the head-scratching calls made by the referees was the offensive pass interference on wide receiver Mike Williams late in the second quarter. Williams barely placed a hand on the defensive back, and had it not been called, it would’ve been a 45-yard play to put the Chargers in Panthers territory. Instead, it led to Justin Herbert’s interception.

Inactive report for Chargers’ Week 3 matchup vs. Panthers

The Los Angeles Chargers will be without their starting right guard.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to play host to the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 of the regular season.

Here is a look at their inactives today:

QB Tyrod Taylor

WR Jason Moore

RB Justin Jackson

LB Nick Vigil

G Trai Turner

OT Storm Norton

TE Donald Parham Jr.

With Turner out, Tyree St. Louis will start at right guard.

Chargers’ Uchenna Nwosu finally gets his spotlight

With Chargers edge defender Melvin Ingram out, Uchenna Nwosu is in.

Every time Chargers outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu has been on the field, he has done something positive.

Nwosu’s hard work and effort hasn’t gotten the recognition that it deserves because he’s been the wingman to defensive end Melvin Ingram since entering the league in 2018.

However, Nwosu now controls the spotlight after Ingram was placed on the injured reserve due to a knee issue Saturday.

Despite limited action, Nwosu has shown glimpses what he has in a little over two seasons. In 44 games, six started, he posted 63 tackles, 35 quarterback pressures, 20 quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

Since entering the league, Nwosu has primarily backed up Ingram at LEO, getting snaps when Ingram would come off the field. It wasn’t until this season when the team included the two in certain blitz packages, which still didn’t involve Nwosu frequently.

This past offseason, Nwosu bulked up to about 250 pounds for a potential permanent move to defensive end.

If Nwosu performs well as the starter in the absence of Ingram, that could be the ultimate determining factor if the franchise chooses to keep the 31-year old for one more go around or not since he is slated to be a free agent after this season.

Nwosu will have the opportunity to show his worth in an expanded role starting tomorrow against his former teammate, Panthers offensive tackle Russell Okung.

Chargers place 3 players on injured reserve, add 5 from practice squad

The Los Angeles Chargers made a few roster moves ahead of their Week 3 matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

The Chargers announced a handful of roster moves ahead of their Week 3 matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

Los Angeles has placed defensive end Melvin Ingram, defensive tackle Justin Jones and linebacker Asmar Bilal on the injured reserve.

Ingram has been dealing with a knee injury. Jones has a shoulder issue, and Bilal has had a calf injury.

With Ingram out, Uchenna Nwosu will likely start at LEO while Jerry Tillery will get an uptick of snaps as the three-technique.

In correspondence, L.A. activated linebacker Malik Jefferson, guard Ryan Groy and defensive end Jesse Liemonier. They have also promoted running back Darius Bradwell and safety Jahleel Addae from the practice squad.

Ingram, Jones and Bilal are eligible to return in three weeks.

Below is the official team statement:

The Los Angeles Chargers today promoted guard Ryan Groy, linebacker Malik Jefferson and defensive end Jessie Lemonier to the active roster. In corresponding moves, the team placed linebacker Asmar Bilal, defensive end Melvin Ingram III and defensive tackle Justin Jones on injured reserve. Los Angeles also activated safety Jahleel Addae and running back Darius Bradwell from the practice squad.